October 21st, 20

THE SIMPLICITY OF FAITH

Today’s readings are Job 11-12 and Acts 15-16.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

Let’s not make it difficult. There’s nothing that stands in the way of you fully experiencing the love of God. There’s no human surgery required. Is it Jesus plus circumcision? What does it mean to be one of us? Who’s in and who’s out? Does it require some kind of human procedure like circumcision? That was the question that was being asked. On the face of it it seems like such a human and pedestrian question. Yet, if we aren’t careful, things will quickly get complicated. We can quickly make difficult, things that are supposed to be simple and sublime. God gave up his life for us, through his Son. And that life is ours by means of grace, through faith. He’s given it to all people, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, alike. Acts 15:9,11 declare just how simple and sublime it is:

He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith.

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.

This simple sublime gift of God had quickly become complicated. The human heart wants to add to it. Our pride demands it. We want to share the credit and the glory. We want to attribute life to ourselves. If we aren’t careful, we will make this life of simple faith a complicated heavy walk of works. We’re all tempted here. We all have our go-to points of significance, things that make us “us”. In this case it was their religion and traditions. They insisted on adding to what God had done, with their traditions and religion. They insisted on salvation on their terms. For them, it was the law – circumcision.

But the truth is, even the things that we insist on, to save us, we fail at. Peter said,

So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?

Why do we burden our hearts and others hearts, with things we cannot carry? And yet, that’s what the human heart wants to do. Sometimes it’s good things: our position, our good works, our religion. Sometimes it’s bad things: our past, our addictions, our regrets. The Bible asks us to put it all down. We are offered something so simple and sublime – grace, through faith.

Nothing stands in the way of you fully experiencing the love of God. Come to God, simply on the basis of faith, trusting in the grace offered to you in Christ. It’s so simple and sublime. It’s not complicated. And it’s yours. There’s a letter sent to you today, coming all the way from Jerusalem, verified by a couple of witnesses. The letter wants you to know the very simple and profound truth that you don’t need to make it complicated. Put away all those things you’re wanting to add to your salvation, and receive, today, the gift of his love.

Live in the simplicity of faith in Christ alone. He is enough.

You are loved!